Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 204: Madara VS Raiken Part 1
News traveled through Konoha almost as quickly as when Madara first returned. It started at the Uzumaki Clan and reached every home in just a few hours.
The news was that 'Uzumaki Raiken was going to fight Uchiha Madara'.
People of Konoha, whether shinobi or civilians, had grown up hearing tales of Hashirama and Madara's legendary battle at the Valley of the End. Now, the chance to see something similar between the village's strongest man and the same famous figure was enough to draw everyone's attention
"Do you think Raiken can actually beat him?" one shinobi asked another as they walked through the market. Both stopped what they were doing to talk about it.
"First Hokage, Senju Hashirama managed to beat him," the other said. "I think Raiken-sama is stronger than him; because of him, the war ended early, and other people were too afraid to attack Konoha."
"But Raiken-sama is not Hashirama-sama," said the first. "The First Hokage was the one who ended the Warring States period."
That uncertainty only made people more excited. Hashirama's strength was well known and studied for generations. But even after all of Raiken's achievements, no one in the village could say for sure how strong he really was.
At first, everyone was excited, but then real worries set in. If two fighters that strong went all out in the open, they could badly damage parts of the village or nearby land. Older villagers, who remembered stories from Hashirama's time, were more worried; they wondered if anyone had asked where the battle would happen.
That concern dissolved almost as quickly as it formed once word spread about the specific location.
The fight wouldn't happen in the open village. Instead, it would take place inside the Sealing VRMMO, a complete simulation where nothing outside the seal could be harmed. Mountains could be flattened and whole landscapes destroyed, but Konoha would stay safe.
The relief that followed was palpable. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the news. The excitement grew even stronger. With no risk to the village, people could watch without worry, and both fighters could give it their all.
This news reached even those deliberately kept out of most village affairs, it was Shimura Danzo.
Danzo heard about it from his wife, who had heard it from a neighbor at the market, who had heard it from someone who worked near the Uzumaki residence firsthand.
At first, he didn't know Madara was alive; even when he first returned to Konoha, he was still like a frog under the well. This was the first time he'd heard the news and what had really happened over the past few days.
He thought about the news for a while, using the same careful, analytical approach that had shaped his life as Root Leader, even though much of what once defined him was gone after he was stripped of power and made a prisoner.
The past year had not been kind to him. His pension, which had helped his family keep up a decent life after his political fall, was cut off completely when Sakumo became the Fourth Hokage. There was no announcement. The payments just stopped one month, and when Danzo finally got a reply to his inquiry, it simply said that former officials under review for their actions were not entitled to village support.
Danzo could not argue the point without drawing attention to exactly the kind of scrutiny he had spent his entire remaining freedom trying to avoid.
His wife had not taken the change well.
"You sit here all day doing nothing," she had said to him more than once over the past year, her voice carrying less anger now than tired, worn-down resignation, "while I have to figure out how we are supposed to feed our son."
"I am not doing nothing," Danzo had replied evenly, though the words carried less conviction each time he said them.
"Useless," she had said once, quietly, not even looking at him, and the word had settled into him with a weight all his years of political maneuvering had never quite prepared him for.
He had adapted, as he always did. Confined to his home and stripped of any official role, he adjusted, as always. Stuck at home and without any official role, he relied on the one skill he still had. He started making sealing scrolls, crafting them carefully and selling them through a small group of contacts who only cared that the scrolls worked. It wasn't the life he had pictured, but it was enough to feed his family, with little left over.
That was what happened, and after 30 minutes, Hiruzen arrived at his door. Danzo did not look up immediately.
"I knew you were coming before you knocked," Danzo said, putting down his brush with his usual care. "News spreads quickly here, even if I'm always the last to hear about it."
Hiruzen stepped inside and looked around the small room. Danzo couldn't quite read his expression, somewhere between old habit and maybe a real look at how much his friend's life had changed.
"I came to tell you myself before you heard it from someone else," said Hiruzen. "Raiken and Madara are going to fight."
Danzo finally looked up.
"Madara," repeated Danzo slowly. "Madara is going to fight, and you guys did nothing?"
"I no longer have political power, Danzo. Like you, I also was stripped of power; only the name of former Hokage left," said Hiruzen.
Danzo stayed silent for a while. Even after losing so much, his mind still worked through the situation with its usual sharpness. Usually, he wouldn't care, but his paranoia against the Uchiha, especially Madara, is still there.
"And people are simply going to watch this," said Danzo.
"They are already preparing to," said Hiruzen. "The whole village is talking about the fight."
Danzo glanced at the half-finished scroll in front of him, thinking about the simple life it stood for. Then he looked back at Hiruzen, his expression hard to read.
"It seems the world keeps moving," said Danzo quietly, "regardless of whether I am part of it."
Hiruzen said nothing, and for once, neither of them had any words; they couldn't do anything without political power.